BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 3 



flat across, like the parchment on a drum-head ; a little within 

 she next constructs a concave cap, serving as the end of the 

 cell ; her former labour is then repeated until she has furnished 

 six or eight cells, when the whole is completed. There is little 

 doubt that the same bee constructs more than one of these tubes, 

 as there never appears any trace of a second tunnel running into 

 the first, as may be observed in many other species of solitary 

 bees, particularly Halicti, Andrenidce, and Anthophoridce. These 

 bees are subject to the attacks of two parasites, one feeding upon 

 the larvae, the other upon the pollen ; the first is a Dipterous 

 insect, Miltogramma punctata ; these flies are very frequently to 

 be seen entering the burrows of the bees, and have been often 

 bred from the cocoons of Colletes ; the second parasite is the 

 beautiful little bee, Epeolus variegatus, which has been very fre- 

 quently reared from the cells of Colletes. 



These bees are gregarious, forming large colonies, particularly 

 the C. Daviesana; and although their numbers are to some 

 extent reduced by the parasites named, still their destruction by 

 these means sinks into insignificance when compared to the 

 wholesale slaughter committed upon them by Forficulce ; these 

 omnivorous enemies devour indiscriminately pupa?, larvae, or 

 pollen; and in some situations they abound to such an extent, 

 that not less than three-fourths of the bees perish through the 

 attacks of these destructive insects. 



There are four known British species of this genus, the type 

 being the Apis succincta of Linnaeus : the authentic specimen is 

 preserved in the cabinet at the Linnaean Society's Museum. 



1. Colletes succincta. 



C. nigra, albido-villosa ; thorace fulvo ; abdomine ovato ; seg- 

 mentis margiue albis. 



Apis succincta, Linn. Syst. Nat. \. 955. 18, ^ Cab. Mus. Linn. Soc. 



Christ. Hym. p. 185. t. 15. f. 7. 



Andrena succincta, Fabr. Syst. Ent. 378..J4 ; Sp. Ins. i. 474. 18 ; 

 Mant. i. 299. 20. 



Rossi, Faun. Eh us. ii. 98. 899. 

 Apis calendarum, Panz. Faun. Germ. 83. 19 $ . 

 Melitta succincta, Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. $ % . 

 Hylaeus glutinosus, Latr. Cuv. R. Anim. i. ed. 3. 513 $ . 

 Megilla calendarum, Fabr. Syst. Piez. p. 335. 33 $ . 

 Colletes succincta, Smith, Zool. iv. 1276. 1. 

 Evodia calendarum, Panz. Krit. Revis. p. 208. 



Spin. Ins. Lig. ii. 197. 1. 



Latr. Gen. Crust, et Ins. i. t. 14. f. 7. 



Panz. Faun. Germ. 2. 1 <? . 22 ? . 



B'2 



